
Culture & The Arts
Articles on contemporary society--its beliefs, values, and accomplishments; plus, original poetry and fiction
Sep 1, 2023
How ChatGPT Robs Students
"When AI does our writing for us, we diminish opportunities to think out problems for ourselves."
Sep 1, 2023
The Ease of Burden
"Writing is not like Athena, springing fully formed from Zeus’ forehead. Writing is like all of Zeus’ other children, where he has to relate to someone for creation (and boy, does he relate). To create things, we need other people. It takes two to tango, two to make a child, and around 12 to make a sitcom."
Sep 1, 2023
Divine Connection or Digital Dalliance?
"Prayer, for many, is more than just a laundry list of requests. It's a profound act of opening oneself to the divine, a dialogue between the mortal and the eternal."
Sep 1, 2023
AI and the Quest for Humanity’s Answers
"AI will virtually obliterate the barrier between what can be known and what is known."
Sep 1, 2023
Wilber’s New Wife: A Theatre Odyssey©2023
"The evolution has begun, and I believe that the arts are going to be a very important partner for technology. Could this be the beginning of the next Golden Age? Absolutely."
Sep 1, 2023
AI - Our New Frenemy
AI and the Human Quest for Love
AI - The Next Big Test of the Human Soul
"The longing is powerful. Perhaps because this is the longing for unconditional love and acceptance with which every human being is born."
Jul 15, 2023
Read on a Beach
“Tell us what you did (read) on your summer vacation!”
Jul 15, 2023
What Are My Values
“We live under another emperor today. It is even more insidious than Constantine for it appears that this is all for our good.”
Jul 15, 2023
Lord of the Flies Shows Humans Are Hard-Wired to Help Each Other
"We can only speculate what the six boys on the island in the Pacific Ocean would have done if they had run out of food – but whatever it is, I would certainly not draw any conclusions from it in terms of the essence of human nature."
Jul 15, 2023
How To Think Like a Woman: A Brief Accounting of Unacknowledged Philosophical Genius
Author Regan Penaluna on female philosophy and the risks of being too smart throughout history...
Jun 1, 2023
Mentoring for His Kingdom
"I believe the role of a Christian mentor is ongoing, and it’s important to consider our role in the salvation of others."
Jun 1, 2023
How to Summer All Year
"I wonder how different the rest of the year, heck, the rest of my life would be if I did bottle summer’s secrets."
Apr 15, 2023
May Day
“This one day converges mythology (Norse), cosmology (Pagan), theology (Christian) and ideology (Marxist) with ancient fertility rites. And for my next trick…”
Apr 15, 2023
Messiah Redux
“Were Handel and Jennens dog whistle revolutionaries?... It is one thing to criticize the secular State, yet another to call for dashing it to pieces.”
Apr 15, 2023
The Resurrection Promises More Than Heaven
So much of Easter focuses on conquering death itself, but overlooking the freedom that the resurrection offers 'this' life, skips a sizable chunk of the miracle.
Mar 1, 2023
Credit Where Credit Is Due
"I would like to share how I create music, but more importantly, where my music comes from."
Mar 1, 2023
The Lottery
“The state lottery is just about the only financial vehicle that offers certain folks a realistic opportunity to materially impact their economic circumstances.”
Jan 15, 2023
Educating Christians
“We must teach our children a totally counter-cultural model of nature. We must teach the doctrines of our Faith, not as exceptions to natural law, but as the highest expressions of natural law.”
Jan 15, 2023
The Barrier-Breaking Power of Music
"We were both smiling from ear to ear, unable to communicate with words, music our only form of communication."
Jan 15, 2023
That Time You Told a Sunrise Lie
"...words are also just hollowed statements to avoid the truth. It’s far too tempting a cover-up. We love ideals, but we don’t like what they require."
Jan 15, 2023
The Crucible Challenge Winner: Integrity vs. Life
We are thrilled to share with you the winning essay from our first Young Writers Challenge, this one conducted exclusively at Cabrini High School in New Orleans. Our winner, Grace Krzenski, answered the prompt, "Why do you think Arthur Miller decided to call his play 'The Crucible' and which definition of crucible do you think Miller had in mind when he wrote his play?" Grace's essay has also awarded her $100. Congratulations, Grace!
Nov 30, 2022
A Simple Christmas
"There comes a time when our souls need more respite than even the traditions of Christmas can offer us."
Nov 30, 2022
Handel’s Messiah
"There is only one full proof indication that Christmas is coming: the endless performances of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. Yup, it’s that time of year!
Nov 30, 2022
‘Happy Holidays’ vs. ‘Merry Christmas’: A Twist
"The argument for the “Happy Holidays” greeting is that because Christians have been imperialistic, and have erased everyone else (including Jews) from American culture, they now need to include us."
Nov 30, 2022
That Time You Weren't Exceptionally Divine
They say that a watched pot never boils. That’s a lie. It does boil, but do you know what doesn’t?
Oct 15, 2022
Pronouns
Next time someone asks you for your ‘pronouns,’ try telling them, ‘you/you’…see what happens.
Oct 15, 2022
Kandinsky: The Painter of Other Worlds
The role of the artist is to challenge “common sense,” to point out the unrecognized assumptions that underpin naïve realism and to suggest certain directions we might travel in pursuit of deeper truth.
Oct 15, 2022
Be a Bee
Why ‘milk and honey?’ Why not ‘sour grapes and corn mash?’ Turns out, it’s all about the honey!
Oct 15, 2022
The Unexpected Sophistication of B Movies
Pulling that off was more artistic in his opinion than any of the “new age” stuff out there pushing the envelope.
Sep 1, 2022
Learn to Swym
“Language Endures. We Don’t” – now that is a bumper sticker!
Sep 1, 2022
Social Dynamics
So, the thousands of people out there in America outside the herd are finding each other.
Jul 13, 2022
How to Coach an Undefeated Football Team
If football is nothing else, it is a metaphor for life. The values of determination, responsibility, teamwork, flexibility, and focus apply to every aspect of life, not just football. This is a formula for success on a football field, but it is also a formula for success in life.
May 31, 2022
Haiku Corner
Does this formal rigor seem like it would be inhibiting? The reverse is true. It’s liberating!
May 31, 2022
Mary Poppins, Sufi Master
The story of Mary Poppins is the story of one small boy’s initiation into the teachings of Sufi spirituality and the secrets of Sufi mysticism. When the initiation of Michael Banks is complete, Michael has come, at least in some measure, to know the mind of God. Not bad for seven-years-old!
May 31, 2022
Parshat Emor: Making It All Count
“Counting the Omer – like the shemitah cycle – invites us to believe that each day, week and year is count-worthy, valuable and unique.”
May 31, 2022
The Meaning of Music
We pray the Psalms hoping to conform our minds, our values, our wills to God’s. Remember, God is his essence; we, on the other hand, are each free to create our own essences. Unfortunately, most of us are making a hash of it! Music elucidates the pre-verbal, non-phenomenal structures of the real world. Its meaning is not subject to logical analysis, scientific verification, or mathematical proof. The only test of music’s validity is its beauty.